Accidents Happen
by AmazingLadar
Summary: When Theatre owner, Drake Remoray, is found dead, every one assumes it was a horrible accident. Everyone except Shawn. (There is Shules. Set before the season 6 finale. Rated T for future chapter. some gore may be included... not quite sure to what extent yet.)
1. Chapter 1

**I got into Psych over the summer. I am now a proud Psych-o. First Psych fanfic, please have mercy. And of course, I do not own Psych. as much as I wish I did. **

**Please review! Good, or bad!**

* * *

It was an unusually quiet day in Santa Barbara. Actually, it was an unusually quiet week. Not much crime, not much vandalism. Gus even had enough time to keep up with his pharmaceutical route. Juliet was at the Psych office. Again. Gus merely stood in a corner, rolling his eyes, as Shawn leaned in for another kiss.

Juliet's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and then answered.

"Carlton, what's going on?"

Shawn moved closer, trying desperately to listen in on the conversation.

"Accident at the local theatre. The owner, Drake Remoray, is dead. We've closed off the theatre for now, but all signs seem to point to an accident. Still be best to check it out though" Lassiter said. Shawn looked at Gus and smirked.

"Sure. I'll be down there in ten minutes tops" Juliet said. There was noise on the other side of the phone. "Carlton, no matter what I say or do, you know they'll find a way to the crime scene anyways."

* * *

The theatre was like any old theatre. There was a huge stage with a high ceiling. Rows and rows of seats and balconies. One of them had the railing snapped in two and below that balcony was an old, overweight man. Drake Remoray.

Off to the side, a blonde woman with green eyes and a terrified look on her face was being interrogated by Buzz McNabb.

Carlton Lassiter met up with Juliet O'Hara and started to debrief her.

"It looks like an accident. Drake Remoray was reported to be on the balcony, reviewing the stage set up. He leaned on the railing and it snapped. Drake fell over and died from the fall" he said.

"Who's the blonde chick?" Shawn asked. Juliet shot him a glare. "I mean… blonde girl. That is completely unattractive. Just… blonde…" Lassiter sighed.

"Tiffany Lestrange. She called to report the dead body" Lassiter said.

"Is it at all possible that she pushed him over the railing?" Shawn asked.

"We've already interviewed her. We're just getting her statement. She said she was standing at the stage and was talking to Drake Remoray. He leaned on the railing and he fell to his death."

"Is it at all possible that she is lying?" Shawn asked. Juliet, Gus and Lassiter stared at him.

"What makes you so sure he was murdered?"

_Up in the balcony booth. Papers, on the floor. Lamp, fallen over. Broken railing holds the smallest piece of fabric, probably from the dead man's jacket. And there, on the wall. Just barely noticeable, but there nonetheless, another piece of fabric. Looking very familiar to the one on the railing._

"I have a psychic hunch!" Shawn said, putting his hands to his head. "there was a confrontation in that booth. A little fighting, a last push and BOOM, the dead guy's dead" Shawn said.

"We already dusted for prints. No one was in that booth except for Remoray" Lassiter said.

"So you think this woman could have over powered him?" Juliet asked, staring at the blonde women in interrogation. Shawn followed her gaze.

_Red eyes. Tear stains on her cheeks. She had been crying for a while. Trembling lip, a stutter. She's shaken up. Left, index finger, the nail is bitten, but the rest of her fingers are fine. She is not pretending._

"No. Not the woman. Someone else" Shawn said.

"Look, Spencer, in the end, your theories don't even matter. You're not on the case. I am" Lassiter said. Shawn took a step towards Lassiter and smirked.

"Oh, for the moment, yes. But in one word, ONE WORD, I will take over. I will be on the case. I will solve this case. And do you want to know what that one word is?"

"Surprise me" Lassiter said. Shawn narrowed his eyes and held eye contact with Lassiter for a while before finally he turned around and yelled out "DAD!"

"Fine fine! You're on the case!" Henry Spencer said.

Shawn looked back at Lassiter, triumphantly. But to his extreme disappointment, Lassiter was smiling.

"Thank God. This case is a no brainer. Go ahead and take over. I have more important cases to work on" Lassiter said, handing him the file. Shawn stared after him, confused.

"Did he just trick me?" he asked.

"O'Hara!" Lassiter called out.

"It seems like it" Juliet said. She kissed Shawn on the lips, and followed her partner out of the theatre. Shawn looked at Gus dumbfounded.

"I guess this means they won't be showing their play this weekend…" Gus said quietly.

"What?" Shawn asked, more confused.

"Their play. They do plays every couple months."

"And you have tickets to these plays?"

"They're classics, Shawn!"

"Right" Shawn said, shaking off the incident. "Gus. Tell me everything you know about this theatre."

"This theatre is old. Very old. Drake Ramoray inherited it from his parents. He liked to keep the tradition of doing plays every couple months but soon they started losing business. Less and less people were interested in coming to the theatre."

"But you remained loyal" Shawn joked. Gus ignored his comment.

"I think Ramoray was broke. They were shutting down the theatre. This was the last play."

"Well… I don't see much motive there…"

"Face it, Shawn. We're dealing with an accident."

"No we're not! This man was murdered!" Shawn said a little too loudly. Everyone there turned and looked at him. Including the blonde.

"Why are you so convinced about that?" Gus asked. Then realization spread across his face. "Are you short on cash? You know that if you need money you can come to me, right? There's no point in falsely accusing someone."

"I am _not_ short on cash. This man _was_ murdered" Shawn spit through his teeth.

"Whatever. I have a route to do. Let me know how this case works out for you." And with that, Gus took off. Shawn watched his partner walk out the doors. He walked to his dad.

"You believe this man was murdered , right?" he asked quietly. Henry sighed.

"It looks like an honest accident, Shawn. There are no fingerprints in the booth. He died because of the fall and there are no signs of any assault on Ramoray."

"Then why did you give me this case?"

"You seem short on money" Henry said, and then walked away.

The blonde woman approached Shawn. She held out her hand.

"Tiffany" she said.

"Yeah I know" Shawn said, not even taking her hand. She reluctantly put it down.

"I don't know if you want to ask any questions or not… but I gave in my statement. If it will help prove this was all an accident…" she said. Shawn stared at her, absolutely speechless. Tiffany smiled and then left.

Was Shaw _really_ the only person who believed this man was murdered?


	2. Chapter 2

**Honestly, don't get _too_ used to this quick updating. I usually take ages. I'm usually just so busy.**

**Keep reviewing!**

* * *

Shawn walked into the booth in which the owner of the theatre had just died. He looked around the room and groaned in frustration. How could they not see what he saw?! It's not like this man just lived in a mess. The floor… it's carpet. Meaning with the right lighting, you can just make out footsteps…

_Foot prints heading in. Footsteps end at the chair next to the desk. Then they move away from the chair and go against the wall. Then they move towards the railing and the footsteps disappear. Second set of footsteps. They enter the room, go towards the wall. Face the railing but never actually reach them. Then, they leave the room where the floor is wooden. _

"Shawn? You in here?" Juliet asked.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute" Shawn said. He looked at the room one more time. There was no doubt about it, someone was in this booth when Ramoray died.

Shawn met Juliet down stairs.

"Chief Vick wants to see you in her office" Juliet said.

"What for?"

* * *

Juliet escorted Shawn in to the chief's office. Inside, Henry, Lassiter and the chief were there waiting for him. Shawn immediately caught on and groaned.

"Chief, I already know what you're going to say" Shawn started. "But the spirits are feeling _very_ strongly about this!"

"Mr Spencer, I understand your opinion but there simply isn't enough evidence. We can't just go off of a hunch from our psychic this time" Chief Vick said.

"Listen, it's happened before. I've had a psychic hunch about something, no one believed me. Think, if I hadn't listened to my hunches, there would still be mysterious suicides going on, Lassie would be in jail and an innocent Polar Bear would have been put down."

"I'm sorry, but without substantial evidence I have no choice but to close this case."

"Just one day, chief. In one day I promise I can find enough evidence to keep this case open." The chief eyed Henry, unsure of what to do.

"I don't think a day would do that much harm" Henry said.

"Alright, a day. And I mean a _day_, Mr Spencer. Twenty-four hours. Nothing more-"

"Nothing less" Shawn said already half way out the door. "I won't let you down, chief!"

"Yes you will…" Chief Vick said under her breath.

* * *

Shawn sat down on the stage, staring up at the booth. Proof. He needed proof. He opened up the case file again and found Tiffany's statement he opened it up and read it enough times to memorise it.

She went in to help with the play. Drake was looking at the stage from a distance in the booth. He leaned on the railing and fell to his death

"Liar!" he yelled throwing the file to the ground. It's obvious someone was in the booth with him. He just needs the evidence.

Suddenly, he heard the doors open and footsteps followed. Shawn quickly stood up and hid, hoping to find the killer. Instead, he saw Tiffany, on the phone.

"Look, I've already checked his office. Nothing. I checked the booth where he was working all night. NOTHING! I don't understand why you want me to come back here. There are cops inspecting this place" Tiffany said. There was some arguing on the other side. "Well, I care! I don't want to be caught for something I didn't do!" Shawn stared at Tiffany. If she had looked through all the files, surely her finger prints would be there. So why weren't they?

"Hang on…" Tiffany said. Shawn peaked over and saw Tiffany picking up the files he had thrown on the ground. She quickly dropped them and started heading for the door, muttering into the phone. "I told you it was too risky. Someone was there. I could have been spotted!"

Shawn waited to hear the door close before he quickly grabbed his file, ran out the back door and raced to the police station.

* * *

Shawn had explained everything to the Chief. Surely that would have been enough evidence to at least allow him another week. He was sadly mistaken.

"Chief, I don't understand how this is not evidence!" Shawn yelled. Thankfully, it was just the two of them in her office. He was far to agitated to deal with anyone other than the chief.

"Because, Mr Spencer, lack of evidence cannot be considered evidence!" Vick said.

"It's not the lack of evidence! I _heard_ Tiffany with my own ears. She was up to something. I also heard that she had looked through all his stuff. But if that was true, there would be finger prints everywhere. Which means she's covering her tracks!"

"You don't know this! You are basing everything on the fact that there is no evidence. That will not support this case." Shawn pulled out the case file

"What about this. Dust this for prints. She had picked it up and flipped through it. There should be fingerprints here."

"What are you getting at?"

"If there are fingerprints on this case file, then maybe I'm wrong. But if I'm not, then you have to admit she's doing something to prevent leaving a mark where she has been. Meaning, she could have been in the booth when Drake Ramoray fell to his death." The chief stared at Shawn before finally caving in.

"Fine. I will run this for testing. If it will make you happy. In the meantime, I suggest looking for something a little more… down to Earth…"

Shawn smiled in victory, knowing exactly what the outcome would be.

"Thank you, chief."


	3. Chapter 3

**Seriously, don't get used these quick updates. **

**Please Review!**

* * *

Shawn was speeding around the Psych office. Papers here, papers there. Highlights here, highlights there. Gus walked in and stopped where he stood, unsure if he had stepped into the right office. He had never seen Shawn work so hard on a single case before.

"Shawn?" Gus called out. Shawn looked up, shocked that there was someone else in the room.

"Oh, hey buddy" Shawn responded.

"What you got there?" Gus asked.

"Just some research into the case." Gus shook his head.

"You still think it was murder…"

"I gave in some proof to Chief Vick!" Shawn said.

"I still don't understand how that's evidence."

"Think about it Gus!" Shawn exclaimed. He just didn't understand how people could be so slow. How could it all make such sense to _him_ but so little to everyone else? "If there are no prints on the files, that means she's been covering up her tracks. Which means, there is a possibility that she was in the booth when Ramoray died."

"Alright" Gus said, playing along for his sake. "Assuming there are no finger prints on the files, and you can carry on your investigation… what then?"

"Well, that's what I've been looking into!" Shawn said, gesturing to the mountains of paper around him. "I looked up the name Lestrange on Google and in the station. Here is every file on that name. And other than a whole lot of _Harry Potter_ related articles, I found one crucial piece of information."

"And what's that?"

"The lack of it!" Shawn exclaimed. Gus stared at him shocked. "Lestrange and Santa Barbara have absolutely no connections! So what was Miss Tiffany doing here?"

"Maybe she was visiting a friend…"

"Already ahead of you. There is a 78 year old woman named Helga Duff-"

"Helga Duff? She was going to be in the play at that theatre!"

"Yes. I know. She was best friends with the late Kate Lestrange. She had a son named Jack and then they moved to New York and where did Tiffany Lestrange come from?" Shawn asked.

"New York…"

"Exactly! That is the _only_ link between the Lestrange's and Santa Barbara. In fact, that is the only link between the Lestrange's and the theatre. So, why would Tiffany help out with the play? Even if she was in Santa Barbara to visit her grandmother friend, why would she be alone in the theatre with Ramoray?"

"Shawn, these are all very loose links…"

"Exactly!" there was a moment of silence. Gus looked at Shawn with a grin.

"I'm free for the rest of the day…" Gus said.

"I have Helga Duff's address…" Shawn said.

Without another word, both men picked up their jackets and ran quickly to the Blueberry.

* * *

Shawn knocked on the door. A woman who looked no older than 60 opened the door. Shawn and Gus exchanged glances, expecting someone much older looking to be in her place.

"Excuse me" Shawn said. "We're looking for a Helga Duff."

"That's me" the woman said. Shawn stared at her.

"Does your mother perhaps share the name?" Gus nudged him. Helga Duff just stared at them.

"No…" Helga said. Shawn gave Gus one more look.

"Right. Well I'm Shawn Spencer, Head Psychic Detective at the Santa Barbara Police Department. This is my partner Billy Bob Jenkins. We were wondering if we could talk to you about the death of Drake Ramoray."

Helga gasped and took a step back. Her hand flew to her heart.

"Drake is dead?" Shawn and Gus exchanged another glance.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I thought you knew" Gus said.

"Well, I didn't" Helga said. She took a second to herself before composing herself again. "Still, come on in. Ask me your questions."

"That's really not necessary" Gus said.

"We can come back later" Shawn said.

"Nonsense. Just come on in. I'll make some tea." Helga left the door open and walked inside. Shawn shrugged at Gus and followed Helga in. Gus stared after Shawn and then followed them in, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Shawn and Gus sat next to each other on the couch. In front of them was a coffee table with three cups of tea. And then, sitting opposite them was Helga Duff.

"I'm really sorry you had to find out about Drake's death this way" Shawn said. "Were you two close?" Helga shrugged.

"We did a few shows together. But no. We weren't actually that close" Helga said. There was an awkward silence before someone spoke again. "How did he die?" she asked.

"Accident" Gus said at the exact same time Shawn said "Murder". They both exchanged glances.

"It's under investigation" Shawn said.

"Right. Well, I can't think of a single person who would have it out for him. He was a very kind man. All he did was sit in his booth organising the next play" Helga said. "It's a shame he was going to be closed down."

"Why was he being closed down?" Shawn asked, though he knew the answer to his own question.

"He was short on cash. I kept offering to give him money but… he kept refusing. His pride always got in the way."

"You offered him money?" Gus asked. He looked around the house. It wasn't exactly a mansion. Did she even have enough money to offer?

"I'm an old woman" Helga said. "I have no use for this money anymore."

"How much money are we talking about here?" Gus kicked his leg.

"A couple million" Helga answered without shame. Gus coughed up his tea in shock and Shawn just stared. Helga laughed. "I'm not exactly going to waste it all on a house" she said, understanding their reaction. "There are better causes."

"Like helping a theatre stay in business" Shawn said. Helga smiled.

"In death." Gus and Shawn stared confused. "My will!" Helga said quickly. She left the room and came back with a piece of paper. She handed it to Shawn and Gus.

"You left 2 million to Drake Ramoray" Gus noted.

"Yes. He would always have far too much pride to accept it as an offer, so maybe as a death wish… he'd be more willing. Don't look at me that way. I'm 78."

"Billy, may I speak with you in private?" Shawn asked. They stood up and walked to the hall. Once he was sure Helga wouldn't be able to hear them, he spoke.

"Look at the will" Shawn said. Gus picked up the will again.

"I don't get it…" Gus said. "What am I seeing?"

"It's what you're _not_ seeing!" Shawn said. Gus rolled his eyes.

"You're evidence can't always be the fact that there is no evidence, Shawn."

"Nono! That's not what I mean. Look, you're a filthy rich old lady. All your friends and family is dead. The closest thing you have to family is your best friends granddaughter who happens to be visitng you. Wouldn't you include her in your will?"

Gus looked over the will again and found that Shawn was right. There was no Tiffany Lestrange in the will. And Shawn had a point.

"So here it is. Tiffany is visiting her Grandma's best friend. Tiffany's family is dead, Helga's family is dead. They relate. Tiffany finds her way into Helga's will and sees that despite being the closes thing to family, she's not included in the will. Instead, a man she's not even that close to gets most of her money. Tiffany, upset and greedy for money, goes to find Drake Ramoray at his theatre. With him dead, Helga would leave all her money to her.

"That sounds like motive to me" Shawn said.

"Now, just a second, Shawn" Gus said. "Don't you think we should talk to Helga first. See what she has to say about this?" Shawn sighed.

"Fine."

The two of them walked back into the room and sat back down on the couch. Helga looked at them both with curiosity.

"About this will…" Shawn started. "I was just wondering why Tiffany Lestrange isn't included in it." Helga looked taken back.

"Who?" she asked. Shawn and Gus looked at each other.

"Tiffany Lestrange. Kate Lestrange's granddaughter?"

"Oh! Kate's Granddaughter! Yes, she is in the will!" Helga picked up her will and circled a name, then she handed it back to the boys. "There, you see? Natalie Pond. 1.5 million."

"Natalie Pond?" Gus asked.

"Well, Natalie Lestrange-Pond. She married, you see." Shawn pulled out the case file and took out the picture they took of Tiffany and handed it to Helga.

"Is this Natalie Pond?" Shawn asked. Helga picked up the picture and squinted.

"Yep. That's her! No doubt about it!"

"Oh, Shawn" Gus said. "All that research and you couldn't even check to see if her first name was right…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Didn't take too long to update. I'm getting better!**

* * *

Shawn hurried back into the Psych office. Gus, still confused by Shawn's sudden motivation, tried his best to keep up with him. Once in his office, Shawn threw all the papers off his desk to reveal his laptop. He opened it up and typed furiously.

"Shawn!" Gus cried out. Shawn just looked up. "What is this all about?" Shawn smiled and looked back at his screen.

"Oh, it all makes sense now" he said. "I looked up Tiffany Lestrange before but couldn't find anything. I figured it was because she didn't live in Santa Barbara but now we know why! So now I'm look up Natalie Pond and... here it is!" Shawn turned his laptop to face Gus.

"Wow" Gus said. "She's... Famous..." Shawn smacked him on the back of his head.

"Not famous" he said. He took his laptop back from Gus. "Natalie Pond! Founded Charity Kate in the year 2001."

"Kate? As in her grandmother Kate?"

"Says here that her grandmother had Alzheimer's. So she founded this charity in her name after she had died." Shawn stared at the screen confused. This did not sound like the type of person who would kill anyone.

"So how'd she end up a murderer?" Shawn looked back at the search results and clicked another link.

"Ah! Found it! In the year 2010 she stole from her own charity. After all the donations, she took the money. After being caught, she promised to return the money but... nobody really trusted her or the charity. And she went bust." Gus stared at Shawn, waiting for his in depth analysis.

"Wait for it" Gus muttered to himself. "Wait for iiiiiit..."

"You know what's interesting, though?" Shawn said.

"There it is!" Gus exclaimed. Shawn ignored him and carried on.

"All this fame, all this money and support. Why would you steal from your charity? She was covered for life! Why would she steal? Especially from a cause that meant so much to her?"

"I don't know" Gus said. "Greed? Maybe she had a gambling problem?"

"Maybe. But you know what else? We hear so much about Kate Lestrange and Helga Duff and Natalie Pond... What about Mr Pond?" Shawn asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"All these articles about Natalie, about her family about her friends... Nt one of them even mentioned her husband. Remember when we went to Helga? She didn't even mention him. She just said that Natalie got married. That's it."

"You think he's made up?" Gus asked.

"No. But I do have a theory. Come on, we need to go to the chief." Gus looked taken back.

"To the chief? You're actually following protocol?"

"We'll, I don't really have much of an option, do I? It's not like I know where Natalie's staying." Gus rolled his eyes but followd Shawn out of the Psych office. Then, almost as if it were done by fate, a car drove by, and Natalie was driving. Shawn quickly turned to Gus, far too eager.

"No, Shawn!" He said.

"Oh but we have to! She might be leaving town! We need to talk to her now!"

"No, we need to talk to the _chief_ now!" Gus said, but it was no use. Shawn had already jumped onto his motorbike and was clipping on his helmet.

"Yeah yeah. Listen, I'm going to go follow her. You go fill in the chief and call me if you find anything important." Before Gus could even argue or give his opinion, Shawn was gone. Gus groaned, got in his Blueberry and drove towards the station.

* * *

Shawn followed Natalie until finally she arrived at an old motel. She got out of her car and started walking towards one of the doors. Shawn hopped off his motorbike and started sneaking towards her, trying his best not to be seen.

He saw Natalie talking to a man, though he couldn't see the man well. He tried to make out the conversation, but could only hear muffled voices. He tried to get a closer view so he could make out the words more easily. Just as he was close enough to hear and about to hear an important part of the conversation, Shawn's phone rang. He grabbed his phone and tried to hush it, only to remember his phone was in fact inanimate. He answered the phone quickly.

"What?" He hissed, trying hard to keep his voice down. "That's great buddy, but listen-"

"Shawn?" Natalie called. Shawn looked up to see Natalie one foot away from him. He stood up and grinned sheepishly.

"Natalie!"

"What are you doing here?"

"You won't believe it, but this iPhone tells me that... There should be a Starbucks nearby" Shawn said, having flashbacks of when he was in a very similar situations and used the same exact excuse. He shook off the memory and put his phone back in his back pocket.

"You're right, I don't believe it" Natalie said.

"Well, that's a shame-"

Then, everything went black for Shawn.

* * *

Gus groaned as he pulled into the station. Once again, Shawn got the fun dangerous job that would probably end in him being kidnapped again while he followed the rules. He wanted to call Shawn again, but figured that if he didn't have any information to give Shawn, he'd just be mad.

He walked into the station and knocked on the Chiefs door. Chief Vick opened the door surprised to see just Gus.

"Mr Guster. What are you doing here, alone?" She asked.

"Shawn was busy" Gus said and was about to tell Vick everything about Natalie when Juliet ran in the room.

"Chief!" She exclaimed, holding a file. "Oh sorry, am I interrupting?"

"Yes, but say what you were going to say" Chief Vick said.

"Shawn was right about the fingerprints. These files are clean" Juliet said.

Finally. Information. An excuse to call Shawn and convince him to go back to the station and handle this the proper way.

"Let me tell Shawn" Gus said, pulling out his phone.

"Put it on speaker" Chief Vick said. "I need to talk to him too."

Gus dialled the number and it rang three times before a pissed of Shawn answered. "Shawn, Juliet said you we right about the files. There are no prints on them. Now listen, what you're doing is incredibly stupid, just come back to the station-"

'That's great buddy but listen-' Shawn said through the voice.

'Shawn?'

'Natalie!'

And then the phone went dead.

Gus looked up to see Juliet look horrified and Chief Vick look very _very_ impatient.

"Who's Natalie?" They both asked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Please review! I love hearing from you guys! The good and the bad!**

**Very slight gore in this chapter. Very slight. Like, very very slight.**

**This chapter is also rather long. Explanations are at the end (to avoid any spoilers).**

* * *

Shawn woke up and found himself tied up to a chair, his hands tied behind his back. Again. Once his vision finally cleared up, he took in his surrounding and tried his best to make out exactly where he was. He knew that the sooner he knew his location, the sooner he'd be rescued.

_Wallpaper is peeling. Windows have scratches. Curtains… there are none. Carpet is dirty. Very, very dirty._

Clearly, it was a motel room.

_Desk, still has dust on it. It hasn't been used. Bed is made far too neatly. No one has slept in it. Windows are still shut and were probably never opened despite it being 90 degrees out. _

This room has been vacant for a very long time. Shawn was probably the only person to have actually used this room in a while. And it wasn't even by choice.

Shawn worked the knots around his hands, trying desperately to untie himself. Then, his butt vibrated. Well, not his butt. His phone in his back pockets. Shawn twisted his hands desperately trying to answer his phone. Rope burns, turning hands further than they should go. Then, the phone stopped. So Shawn resorted to trying to untie his hands again. It was clearly the only way to accomplish anything.

Then, the door opened wide. Natalie entered, followed by a man Shawn immediately recognised.

_Scar on face. Bald, blue eyes. Tall, around six foot. Tattoo on arms. William Pond._

It all made sense.

"Well, hello Natalie!" Shawn exclaimed happily. Natalie rolled her eyes, but it was clear to Shawn that just the fact that he knew her real name bothered her. "And hello Mr Pond" Shawn said, now looking at the man.

"How do you know who we are?" Natalie asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I not tell you? I'm kind of psychic" Shawn said. Natalie looked at her husband, confused as to what to do with that.

"Do you expect us to believe that?" Mr Pond asked.

"Would you like me to prove it to you?" Shawn asked.

"Go on" Mr Pond said. "Convince me."

"Alright, let's take a look into your past" Shawn said. "The year 2010." Natalie stiffened, though Mr Pond rolled his eyes. "That was the year Natalie stole from her charity. But it wasn't Natalie. She was just covering for you.

"Back in time! Early 1990's. Natalie meets Mr Pond. Falls desperately in love. Year 1999. William Pond robbed a bank with a knife. Or, attempted to rob a bank with a knife. That didn't go so well, did it? But still, four dead. You proud of that _Will_?" Shawn asked, Staring directly at Mr Pond.

"Fast forward. Year 2009. William Pond on parole for good behaviour. He returns to the love of his life, and they marry. Natalie Lestrange becomes Natalie Pond.

"That brings us back to the year 2010. Money goes missing from the charity. Your finance advisor notices, and asks questions. Natalie immediately suspects William so she confronts him, and her theories are proven to be true. But she can't have that. She has the love of her life and if she tells people that William Pond took the money that would be in violation of his parole and he'd be sent back to prison. She couldn't have that. So she took the blame. And doing so ruined her. But she didn't care. She had the love of her life."

Shawn stared at Natalie, judging her past, judging her future and judging her. All Natalie could do was stare back at him, eyes wide open, jaw dropped.

"Now we're in the present day" Shawn continued, now putting his new theory into play. "The couple, now completely broke, go looking for Helga Duff. An old family friend who happened to be loaded. I like to think that you were going to just ask for a loan, but the spirits are telling me you had something much more dark in mind for her. How Drake Ramoray fits into this… the spirits and I are still working on."

"I never intended to kill Helga!" Natalie exclaimed. "She's like family to me!"

"To you" Shawn repeated, and then he turned towards William. Natalie followed his gaze and stared at her husband.

"Will?" she said, barely above a whisper. "You said no one would die. You said 2 million and then promised no one would die!"

_2 million. Natalie was only left 1.5 million. They weren't going to kill Helga._

"No one is going to die. Ramoray has the money. I heard him say so. He just hid it. That's why we need to stop wasting our time with this clown, and go talk to Ramoray again!" William said, already making his way to the door.

"What makes you think Ramoray has 2 million?" Shawn asked.

"I heard him. On the phone. He was talking about rebuilding the theatre, saying he could afford it now that he had the money. Natalie, let's go!" William barked.

"Ramoray's dead" Shawn said. William stopped and turned to face Shawn.

"He's what?"

"OH I'M GETTING A VISION!" Shawn exclaimed. He tried to put his hand on his head, but quickly remembered he was tied up. "You both came here to ask Helga to borrow money. It was just an innocent loan. You met up with her at the theatre, talked to her but never got around to asking for the loan. Because you heard something far more interesting.

"Drake Ramoray enters! He talks about how he has 2 million dollars. And that's when you get your idea. 2 million dollars. You wouldn't need to borrow anything from Helga. You'd be set for a very long time. Maybe even start a family, though I think that's the last thing my buddy Will here wants.

"You confront him, tell him you want the money. You even threaten him. Maybe with his life, maybe just to hurt him. I don't know. It doesn't work. So you send Natalie in alone, get her to try and reason with him. Maybe get a little good cop bad cop in. Or in this good crook bad crook. But it goes horribly wrong.

"Natalie approaches him in his booth. They talk but Natalie doesn't get what she wanted. So she pushes and shoves. Then, she pulls out a gun and points at Ramoray. Ramoray, lost for words and scared, puts his hands up and backs up into the railing. But the building's old and the railing breaks. Ramoray dies.

"But it was an accident. You didn't go with the intention to kill, and yet he died. That's why you looked so shaken up at the crime scene. But you knew your husband would be furious if he was dead. Your one way to find the money is now gone. So you lied to the cops.

"You gave a fake name. you gave a fake story. So that if your husband ever went to the theatre alone, he'd see that Ramoray was dead and a woman named Tiffany found the body. How could he trace that back to you, right?"

Natalie stared at her husband, terrified of his reaction.

"Is that true?" William asked.

"Yes" Natalie whispered. She expected all hell to break loose. Instead, William turned back to Shawn.

"Congratulations. You really are psychic!" William said. "So here's what's gonna happen." William pulled out a knife and pointed it at Shawn. "You're going to _divine_ use where the money is. Using your psychic powers, of course." Shawn stared at the knife. Knowing very well he couldn't possibly divine anything, he tried to buy some time.

"Really? A knife? Did you not learn from your whole 'Rob a Bank' scheme?" Shawn said.

"Just shut up" Natalie said, clearly just giving him some good advice.

"Would we share the money?" he asked. They both stared at him. "Well, I mean, he's dead. It's fair game right? After all, I am going to lead you to the money. I deserve a fair share."

"You're not getting anything" William said.

"Well. That's not very fair. What if I decide not to show you to the money anymore?"

Out of frustration and impatience, William held his knife tightly and stabbed Shawn in his left thigh. Shawn yelled out in shock and pure agony.

"You _die!"_ William yelled. He dug the knife in further causing Shawn to yell again. "Are we _clear_?!" William then yanked the knife out of Shawn's leg.

Then, Shawn's phone rang. Shawn sighed, expecting another attack. Instead, all that happened was Natalie grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and handed it to William.

"Who's Juliet O?" he asked. Shawn, afraid of getting into any more trouble or, even worse, getting Juliet in any trouble, quickly made up a lie.

"Some girl who works at a cheesecake factory. She's been calling me nonstop. You can just ignore her" he said.

"Juliet O'Hara?" Natalie said. "She was at the crime scene. She's one of the detectives."

"She's a detective?" William asked, finally understanding what he was dealing with.

"So is he" Natalie said, pointing to Shawn.

"He didn't need to know that" Shawn muttered to her. William punched Shawn in the face. Hard.

"Great. Great. This is just great! We're dealing with cops!" William yelled, pacing around the room and ignoring all the calls Shawn's phone got. "They're probably on their way now. This idiot was probably sent under cover or something."

"If they are coming, can't we use him as a hostage?" Shawn laughed.

"With a knife?" and then flinched, afraid, William would land another punch.

"No" Natalie said, before anything could happen. "With this" she said as she pulled out a gun and handed it to her husband. "I don't know if it works. I never used it. I only threatened Drake with it."

"Well, let's find out if it works" William said. He cocked it back, aimed it at Shawn's foot and then shot. Shawn yelled out once again. "Look at that!" William said. "It works!"

Shawn looked at Natalie. Surely she couldn't be allowing this. But, she was. She'd do anything for the money.

"I can see the money" Shawn spat out. He didn't care if he didn't have the faintest idea of what to do next. He had to get out of that motel room. "It's back at the theatre." Natalie and William exchanged glances. William was clearly the brains behind it all. He had the experience. He had dealt with cops and hostages. He knew what to do. Shawn's phone rang again.

"Okay. Here's what's going to happen" William said. "I'm going to answer this phone. You have one minute to talk to them. That should give the cops enough time to trace the call. Then, we're out of here. You say one word about anything else, I will shoot you. Are we understood?" Shawn nodded and William then put the phone on speaker and placed it in front of Shawn.

'Shawn? Finally! You didn't answer any of my calls! Are you okay?' Juliet asked. Shawn hesitated before answering. He knew he had limited time and he had to come up with a way to let Juliet know where he was going without William knowing.

"Yeah" he said. "Um… sort of…"

'Where are you, Shawn?'

"I don't know. But I do know I don't have very much time left. So please don't waste it trying to figure out where I am."

'Don't think like that. Don't you dare. We're tracing the call and we're going to find you, okay?'

"I need you to do two things for me, though."

'Anything.'

"First, I need you to think back to our third proper date. I took you out to that fancy restaurant. I think that was the best night of my life and I would very much appreciate it if you could remember me as that romantic guy."

'Shawn-'

"Also, one more thing I need you to do. I need you to tell Gus that I don't mind if he goes out with that girl this weekend."

'Why don't you just tell him that yourself?'

"I don't think I'll get the chance. Jules, one last thing."

'What?'

"I love you."

William then snapped the phone shut. Natalie quickly went behind Shawn and worked on the knots, quickly untying him. Then Shawn noticed the texture of her hands and found out how she did it. She was wearing gloves. All this time, she was wearing very thin clear gloves. He then focused on Williams hands and sure enough, he was wearing gloves too.

There wouldn't be any fingerprints at this motel room. With all the dust and tidiness, whoever went in this room would be under the impression that no one had been here for weeks.

William forced Shawn to get on his feet and then Natalie tied his hands together again behind his back.

With William clutching his arm far too tightly, Shawn was then forced to limp his way towards their car.

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**This whole chapter ended up being very different to what I had wanted. I mean, the plot is the same and so are the twists. But originally, I had planned to make this the really gorey chapter. Like, there was going to be hand stabbing and all that but i just didn't see where I could fit that in. Also, I had originally planned for this chapter to be split in 2. But I couldn't find a good spot to split it in. So it's just one long chapter. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I honestly could have uploaded this earlier. I just got a little distracted by another fanfic. I love this website :')**

**Please keep the reviews coming!**

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Gus had just explained to the Chief all about Natalie. Juliet was frantically trying to call Shawn, but no answer. She was starting to worry that something horrible had happened. Gus also had the same suspicion and with every word he told the Chief, he hoped to God that it would help bring Shawn back. Shawn was annoying, Shawn could be a real pain at times, but he was still Gus's friend. He was still Juliet's boyfriend. And he was still one of the best detective's the Santa Barbara Police Department had ever had. They just _had_ to get him back.

Henry Spencer knocked on the Chief's door, also curious as to why Gus was at the station and yet Shawn was nowhere to be found. Lassiter followed closely behind, curious as well.

"Chief Vick" Henry said. "Is there a problem?"

"It's just to do with your sons case" Chief said, trying to keep family out of it.

"Is something wrong? Is Shawn hurt?" Henry asked, suddenly fearing for his son's safety.

"Last we heard he's fine-"

"I still can't get hold of him" Juliet said, terrified. Chief sighed. Now she'd have to tell Henry what had happened to his son. Or, what they believed happened. And that was always the hardest part of the job. Telling someone that their family could be seriously injured. Or worse.

"You want to fill me in here?" Henry asked.

"Shawn was following Tiffany" Chief said.

"Though she's not really Tiffany" Gus said quickly, for some reason under the impression that the more people who knew about this, the faster they would find his friend. "Her real name is Natalie Pond."

"The charity stealer?" Lassiter asked, confused. Then understanding spread across his face. "THAT'S where I recognized her from!"

"Okay, well why was he following 'Charity Stealer' then?" Henry asked.

"He wanted to ask some questions. Like, why she lied about her name and all that. The last thing he said before we left the office, though, was about her husband. He was wondering why he was never mentioned in all of the news articles that he has read."

"But he is mentioned" Lassiter said. Everyone stared at him confused, so he made his way to the Chief's computer and pulled up a web page. "William Pond. That's who she married."

"Who's William Pond?" Gus asked. "And how do you know that she married him?"

"I know because I was monitoring William Pond when he got his parole, and I know for a fact that he married the Charity Stealer."

"Parole?" Gus asked. "Why? What'd he do?!" the others stared at him too. The name was familiar, but seeing as his crimes weren't committed in Santa Barbara, they didn't know the case all that well. In fact, they found it odd that Lassiter did.

"He robbed a bank with a knife. He killed four people, but was caught. He was in prison for 10 years before they let him out for good behaviour" Lassiter said. Everybody stared at him in shock. Juliet quickly pulled out her phone and frantically dialled Shawn's number again.

"Oh, Shawn" Gus said.

"How the hell does he keep getting caught up in all this?" Henry said to himself.

"McNabb" the Chief called out. "I need you to look into William Pond-"

"Search every little thing about this man. If he scratched his bum since the year 2010, I want to know!" Lassiter yelled. The Chief looked at him. "If that's okay with you, Chief…" Then he returned to the group still in the Chief's office.

Juliet turned to face everyone again.

"I still can't get a hold of him" she said, feeling that she was at the verge of tears. Gus then started to tear up as well Henry stared at them both.

"I'm a sympathetic crier" Gus said.

"Guys, guys!" Henry called out. "The best way to approach this is to stay _calm_. If we're all in a panic, we'll never find him."

"Mr Spencer's right" Chief said. "We need to remain calm. O'Hara, put the phone away. If Shawn is able to get to the phone, he'll be able to call us."

"He got lucky, last time" Lassiter said. "We can't depend on the fact that Shawn will call us back. Odds are he's tied up somewhere being threatened. Probably with a knife." Everyone stared at him. "He robbed a bank. You think he doesn't know how to deal with hostages?" before Juliet could even stop herself, she was dialling the all too familiar phone number again.

"Can't we track his phone?" Gus asked. "You'd think after last time he'd have a GPS signal installed or something."

"I did install one" Henry said. "But Shawn removed it, calling it an invasion of privacy and that if he wanted to jump on the bouncy castle he should be allowed to without his dad coming to stop him." Then, everyone looked at Gus, knowing very well that he was probably at the bouncy castle with him.

"We were never going to go on it" Gus said. "We just wanted the option." Lassiter sighed.

"I'm dealing with a bunch of idiots" he said to himself. Juliet dialled Shawn's number again, and Lassiter groaned. "O'Hara! Would you just put that phone down?! He's not going to answer!" He yelled.

"Well at least I'm doing something!" Juliet yelled back. And then she heard the familiar sound of the phone being answered. She quickly put it on speaker.

"Shawn?" Juliet asked. "Finally! You didn't answer any of my calls! Are you okay?" She then pointed to one of the officers and pointed to the phone. He quickly got on his monitor, tracing the call.

'Yeah' Shawn said. Everyone tensed up. The sound of his voice very clearly contradicted what he was saying. He sounded so hoarse. So much in pain. 'Um… sort of…'

"Ask him where he is!" Gus hissed at Juliet. She pushed Gus away, clearly about to ask the very same thing.

"Where are you, Shawn?"

'I don't know. But I do know I don't have very much time left. So please don't waste it trying to figure out where I am.' They all stared at the phone, lost for words. Shawn had never lost hope before, but now it seemed like he had.

"Don't think like that. Don't you dare. We're tracing the call and we're going to find you, okay?"

'I need you to do two things for me, though.'

"Anything."

'First, I need you to think back to our third proper date. I took you out to that fancy restaurant. I think that was the best night of my life and I would very much appreciate it if you could remember me as that romantic guy.'

It was at this point that Juliet finally realized… Shawn was giving them hints as to where he was. Shawn hadn't lost hope! He was being watched! That's why he sounded so hopeless!

"Shawn-"

'Also, one more thing I need you to do. I need you to tell Gus that I don't mind if he goes out with that girl this weekend.'

"Why don't you just tell him that yourself?"

'I don't think I'll get the chance. Jules, one last thing.'

"What?"

'I love you.'

Then the line went dead. All at once, everyone ran outside the office to the officer who was tracing the call.

"Did you get it?!" Juliet asked. "The location? Did you find it?!"

"Yeah" he said, holding up a piece of paper. "It's a cheap motel just outside of town."

"MCNABB" Lassiter called out. Buzz quickly approached the detective, still holding files in his hands.

"I haven't found anything yet. He's been on pretty good behaviour-" Lassiter snatched the files Buzz was holding and threw them across the room.

"Get in your car and go with these two detectives to this location" Lassiter said, handing him the piece of paper. "O'Hara and I will meet you there." Buzz quickly listened to him and took off in his cruiser with two detectives. Lassiter already started making his way to the car.

"Carlton, wait" Juliet called out. "Gus needs to come with us." Gus and Lassiter stared at her shocked.

"Excuse me?" they both said.

"Shawn was leaving clues in that phone call. One of them was directed at Gus. We need him to come with us."

"Fine, fine" Lassiter said. "If that makes you get in the car quicker, then whatever."

"If you think I'm waiting here-" Henry started.

"Fine!" Lassiter yelled. "Why don't we just make an event out of this?! Get in the car!"

They all piled into the car and started following Buzz McNabb to the motel. Juliet started focusing on what Shawn had said. She thought about it over and over but could not make sense of the clue that he had left for her. Lassiter noticed and watched Juliet, trying to decide how to console her.

"What are you thinking about?" Lassiter asked her at last.

"The clues Shawn was leaving. I can't make sense of it" Juliet said.

"Are you sure he actually left a clue? Are you sure he's not just in a lot of trouble?" Lassiter asked.

"I know Shawn" Henry said. "He wouldn't give up without at least trying to give us clues." It was silent for a bit as Juliet thought about what Shawn had said, still arriving at no conclusion. "Try saying your thought process out loud. It helps" Henry said.

"Well, he told me to think back to our third proper date Now, I remember this particular one very well because… well… it was a disaster. Why would he want me to remember him like that?" Juliet said.

"It couldn't have been that bad…" Gus said.

"Oh, believe me. It was" Juliet said. "We made a reservation at a fancy restaurant. On our way there, we couldn't find parking so we were late. Turns out they over booked and they gave our reservation away. So we decided to go look for another place to eat and after searching for ages we finally found one, but they took ages to bring us any food. Everything that could've gone wrong, did go wrong. It was just an awful night and when we finally got back home we both agreed that that whole night was just..." Juliet's eyes widened as she finally understood the clue. "A complete waste of time."

Carlton and Juliet exchanged looks.

"What, so he's saying finding him is a waste of time?" Lassiter asked. "Does he not want to be saved?"

"Maybe it's a trap?" Gus offered.

"Or maybe…" Henry thought about it. "It's a waste of time because he knows they're not going to be there…"

"Well, that's great" Lassiter said. "Now where the hell are we supposed to find him?"

"The theatre!" Gus exclaimed. They all stared at him, then Lassiter remembered to keep his eyes on the road.

"Don't just make guesses, Guster" Lassiter said.

"No. It's not a guess. He said to tell me that he doesn't mind if I go out with that girl this weekend, right? Well, I have no girl this weekend. I was planning to see the play that the theatre was showing, and I had told Shawn today about the tickets."

Lassiter looked at Juliet, unsure whether or not they should follow this lead. Juliet nodded, trusting that Shawn had really left clues and trusting that Gus was right. Lassiter picked up his radio and contacted Buzz.

"McNabb. Listen, you carry on to the motel room. I want you to dust for fingerprints, inspect that place. Only call me if you find something important. Once you've finished, meet us at the theatre. McNabb…" Lassiter thought about the next words he'd say, knowing very well that one day very soon he'd come to regret them. "You're in charge…" he spat out. Lassiter put the radio down and did a quick turn, heading towards the theatre.

The car ride was from then on silent, as they all thought the same exact thing, all hoping that they were right, and Shawn was alive.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Update is here. Not as early as i wanted it. You wouldn't believe what happened. I come home, expecting there to be my usual internet, nice and easy for me to use. WRONG! Anyways, the update is here. **

**This chapter has slight gore. But nothing too bad. **

**Please review! I love reading reviews. I don't think you understand how much. So good, bad, horrible terrific. I don't mind. **

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William's car pulled up into the theatre. Natalie stepped out of the car calmly and waited. William dragged Shawn out of the car and held on to his arm tightly. Then, they made their way towards the entrance, Shawn limping the whole way. Once they finally entered the theatre, Shawn looked around and finally realized the terrible truth. If he didn't give an exact location for the money, he would be dead. He tried to come up with a logical place that the money could be, but came up with nothing. The only thing that there was left to do for him, was to hope that Juliet and Gus had picked up on his clues and that they would come to his rescue.

William threw Shawn against the wall. Shawn, so near to collapsing, planted his shot foot down and pushed himself back up.

"Well, that was completely and totally unnecessary" Shawn said.

"You're completely and totally unnecessary" William said, on edge with Shawn.

"No, you are" Shawn said, realizing he could buy some time with this.

"No. You are. I said it first" William said, getting sucked into Shawn's childish game.

"Your face is" Shawn said.

"No it's not."

"Yes. It truly is. And so is your mom."

"Hey! My mom was-"

"Will!" Natalie said, finally putting a stop to the madness. William stared at Natalie then at Shawn, very embarrassed that he had just had a very long argument about something so stupid.

"Right" he said. He pulled out his gun, cleared his throat and held his head up high, holding whatever dignity he had left. "So, where's the money?"

"I don't know" Shawn said with a smile.

"You don't know?!" William yelled. "I seem to recall you said you _saw _the money! So where'd you see it?! Where is it!"

"The spirits have lead me here. And then they left."

"Well maybe, your _spirits_ need a little inspiration" William held his gun up to Shawn's head. "It's simple really. If your spirits can't find me the money, then you can join your stupid spirits."

Shawn searched his brain, thinking logical. If he had 2 million dollars and 2 crooks were after them, where would he hide it. He knew Gus would hide it in a bank. But he can't exactly use that. So what's as good as a bank? A safe. Obviously. Shawn looked up into the booth and saw something he should have noticed the first time he was there. With ne found confidence, he spoke up.

"In his office. The spirits are telling me that the money is up in the booth." Natalie laughed.

"I searched that place. Three times. How could I miss something as big as 2 million dollars?" she asked.

"You just didn't know what to look for. Up in the booth, there is a picture of a flower framed and put up. I don't like flowers. And what man does? It's just covering up the safe that was inbuilt into the wall. That's where the money is" Shawn said. William looked at Natalie.

"I'll check it out. Natalie, stay with this idiot" William said, and then he took off towards the booth. Shawn turned and faced Natalie. Finally, he could question her. That's what he wanted from the beginning anyways.

"So tell me, Natalie-"

"Shut up" she said. Shawn was taken back. "I'm not going to play your stupid games. I'm just here to make sure you don't run away. Or call the cops. Or something like that. So just keep your mouth shut."

"Well, you took my phone, so that leaves calling the cops out. And I got shot in the foot and stabbed in the thigh. I think you can exclude running as one of my ways out. Now, Natalie-"

"I said shut up."

"I just wanted to ask how you got to be like this." Shawn said.

"What do you mean?"

"I looked you up. Straight A student. Graduated with honours. You were a great kid. And then you opened up a charity, starting from scratch. And it became a huge success. All in the memory of your beloved grandmother. That doesn't exactly sound like a murderer/thief to me." Natalie just stared at him.

"I don't see how that's any of your business" Natalie said.

"I'm a detective. I'm investigating your case. This is exactly my business."

"Fine. You'll be dead soon enough anyways" Natalie expecting those words to have a bigger impact on Shawn, but instead he just stood there smiling at her. "I loved Will. And we've been getting by pretty well. We've gotten the money necessary to live. But… he always wanted more. We came here just to visit Helga. No money plan or anything. And then she tells us about her will… I could see that Will was considering killing her, but I made him promise not to. When we heard Ramoray had a lot of money, Will gave me a choice. We either take his money or Helga's money."

"You chose wrong" Shawn said.

"You expect me to kill Helga? She's been in my life for as long as I can remember."

"There's always a way out. You didn't have to go through with either one of these illegal get rich quick schemes that your husband crafted. Didn't you understand he was bad news once he robbed that bank?"

"When he got out he said he was a changed man. And I had already waited 10 years. I didn't want to wait any longer."

"You're afraid of being alone" Shawn said, finally understanding Natalie. She just stared at him. "Psychic, remember? Maybe you did fall in love in the 90's, but once he got arrested you realized he was bad news. So you didn't wait for him. You let him rot in that prison cell. 10 years later, he comes out, promises he's a changed man and proposes. It was you first proposal and at 35, you were afraid it would be your last. You didn't want to be alone, so you accepted. That's why throughout all his thefts and schemes you've stayed with him. You don't want to be alone!"

Natalie was lost for words. How was it possible that this man she never met before today, knew her better than she knew herself.

"It's not too late" Shawn reassured her. "It's never too late."

"The money wasn't there!" William yelled as he made his way back to his wife. "There was a total of one hundred and fifty 7 dollars in there. What stupid trick are you trying to pull here, huh?!"

"You took the hundred and fifty seven dollars, didn't you" Shawn said, judging him.

"He's dead. It's fair game" William said, using Shawn's words. "Now where is the money?!" Shawn swallowed. He had hoped that it would take longer for William to get into the safe. Instead, he managed to do it almost instantly.

"Well... Uh…"

"You don't know do you?" Shawn shook his head. William pulled out his gun and placed it on Shawn's head again. Shawn stared at the gun, terrified for his life. "Then you are of no use to me."

Just as William was about to pull the trigger, Natalie pushed William back.

"You promised me no one would die" she hissed.

"He has to. He knows too much and he's of no use to me."

"If you kill him, I'm leaving" Natalie said.

"He's a cop. If we let him go, he'll squeal on us and turn us in. Is that what you want?" Natalie just stared at him, glaring. "I'll give him another chance. One. If he messes it up again, I'm shooting him in between the eyes. Are we clear, _honey_?"

"Give me the gun" Natalie said, not answering his question. William sighed and handed her the gun. "No one dies. Got it?" William glared but nodded.

"Come on, psychic. Where's the money?" William asked. Shawn zeroed on the fact that William still had a knife tucked in his boot. Judging by the look on his face, Shawn was certain that just because he didn't have gun, did not mean that he wouldn't threaten his life.

Shawn thought again. It wasn't in his safe. That's where Gus would have put it. Shawn would have been more creative. Put it in a toy. Or hide it in plain sight. And that's when it hit Shawn. Hidden in plain sight. Everyone could see where the money was hidden and that's why it was a brilliant hiding place. No one would think to look for money in there.

"On stage" Shawn said. William laughed. "Well, more accurately, under the stage. Tear up the floor boards and the money will be hidden underneath."

"That's the stupidest hiding place I've ever heard" William said.

"It's not stupid" Shawn said. "It's genius. And that's where the spirits are leading me. So if you would rather stay here like a good girl-"

"Hey! Don't you _dare_ call me a girl!" William said, and then stormed off towards the stage. He then turned back to Natalie and Shawn. "You coming, or not?!" he yelled.

Natalie grabbed Shawn's arm and together they made their way towards the stage.

Natalie sat Shawn down on one of the seats at the stage. Shawn put his leg up, trying his best not to think of the pain. There was blood streaming all the way down his leg. Blood was dropping onto the floor and it was safe to say he would never wear those shoes again. Shawn groaned in pain. Natalie sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder, offering an apologetic smile. If she got her life back on track, that would be enough for Shawn to forgive her. After, of course, she did her time in jail.

_There's a sound. A weird sound. It's coming from up above. But nothing's up above. What's that sound? What is it?_

William had grabbed a hammer from back stage and was working his way through the floorboards of the stage. He regretted so much shooting Shawn. If he hadn't, he could have forced him to do all the labour work. Tearing up the floor boards and searching the stage. It was a pain to be the one doing it. It hurt his back and was definitely hard work. He generally enjoyed taking things apart. And when there was a large money reward at the end, that was always a plus. But in this case, he didn't trust Shawn's theory and was fearing that his wife was getting ready to stab him in the back. She had already tried to protect Shawn and leaving those two alone before was a mistake. Who knew what kind of mind games he was playing with her.

That was why he called them both over. Shawn was a lot smarter than he previously thought. He suspected that Shawn was trying to tear the team apart. And he hated that. He loved his wife and the last thing he ever wanted to see was her walking away from him. And today was the first time in years that she had threatened to do so.

Finally, William had torn through enough floorboards to come to the conclusion that Shawn was in fact wrong about where the money was hidden. He stood up with a grin on his face. Shawn noticed and immediately expected the worst.

"The money isn't there" William said, still with that sickening grin on his face. Shawn's heart fell. Unless the Santa Barbara Police Department came to his rescue, he knew he was a goner.

"Really?" Shawn asked. "You sure you looked well enough?"

"I'm positive. So tell me, psychic. Were you lying when you told me the money was here? Or do you simply not know where the money is?"

"I don't know. The spirits lead me to the stage. Whether it was because the money was here or simply because they felt like performing an act, I don't know."

"Will" Natalie said, standing up and walking towards him. "Please don't do anything you'll regret."

"I won't regret anything." William pulled out his knife and walked towards Shawn.

"Nonono, Will. You promised. No one dies."

"I said one more chance. He blew it." Natalie stood in between William and Shawn.

"Please don't" Natalie said. William could do nothing but stare at his wife, feeling betrayed and stabbed in the back.

He hesitated for a second and then slapped Natalie across the face. The force knocked her down and pushed her out of the way. William approached Shawn and punched him in the face, knocking him out of his seat. He then walked towards Shawn fallen body and place his foot over his cut thigh. Then he stepped down on it, putting as much weight and pressure as possible on to it. Shawn yelled out in pain. William grabbed Shawn by the hair on his head and pulled him up so that he was kneeling. He then placed his knife on Shawn's throat.

"Say hello to Drake Ramoray, for me."

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**Dun dun DUN!**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again! I could have updated this yesterday as I had this chapter done the same time I had the last chapter done, but I couldn't help but leave it on a cliffy! (word stolen from a review on an earlier chapter.) I like cliffies.**

**Again, slight gore in this one. More so than before, but still not over the top.**

**Please review. I do love reviews. And would very much like to know your opinion. **

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Carlton had turned on the sirens and the flashing police lights on the top of his car. He was speeding through traffic, desperate to find the annoying psychic. Everyone stared at the road ahead of them in silence, all thinking about Shawn. All hoping that he was safe. Well, as safe as he could be in this situation. Juliet held her phone in her hand, still debating whether or not to call Shawn. Every time she decided she would call him, Henry would put a hand on her shoulder and shake his head, knowing that a phone call from the cops would only make Shawn's situation more difficult to get out of.

Gus stared out of his window, thinking about Shawn. If he had just gone with him maybe he wouldn't be in this mess. It was his phone call, after all, that got Shawn caught in the first place. Gus also had GPS on his phone. If he was with Shawn, the police could have used his phone to track them. Gus blamed himself.

Henry stared out of the window. He had put his son on this case. He could have said no. If he had said no, Shawn would have been safe. And even though he said that Shawn could be on the case, he still should have assigned him a partner, or something. It's too dangerous to do this alone. Any case is too dangerous to be alone. He should have assigned Lassiter or even Juliet to work with him. They at least had a gun. If danger was near, they could have prevented it. Henry blamed himself.

Carltonstared at the road ahead of him, trying to keep his mind focused on simply getting to the theatre. But, every now and then, his mind would wonder off. Shawn was right about cases. Even though he was a pain, Carlton could not deny that Shawn was a good cop. He should have trusted his theory. Or at least, ask Juliet to go with him. Just to make sure he didn't get into any trouble, like he always did. Carltonblamed himself.

Juliet stared out her window. Her boyfriend was in danger. He had a theory and no one believe him. Not even her. And she was his girlfriend. She should be trusting him and listening to his theories, no matter how ridiculous they were. She should have gone with him. She should have listened to him. Juliet blamed herself.

They all blamed themselves. And they all knew the only way to make up for this was by finding Shawn and the people who kidnapped him and bringing them to justice. There was no point in sulking around. They had to hurry and save Shawn. And that's what they all did.

A car pulled up in front of Carlton, causing him to slam on his breaks.

"CAN'T YOU SEE THE FLASHING LIGHTS?!" he yelled out. He reversed out of the crowded street and tried to make his way around the crowd of cars, only to have another car move up right in front him. Everyone in the car yelled out in frustration. "Son of a-" The radio then went off, McNabb trying to get to them.

"WHAT?!" Carlton yelled into the radio. Juliet snatched the radio from his hands.

"You just focus on getting us to the theatre" She said to Carlton. "What is it, McNabb?"

'We're at the motel. We found Shawn's motorbike just outside one of the rooms, but that's the only vehicle we found. We went inside but no one's there. But, I gotta say, this room looks untouched. There's dust everywhere. We did, however, find Shawn's phone in here. Also, there's a chair in the middle of the room and on the floor is blood. We're going through tests right now to identify the blood and we're looking for fingerprints."

"Thanks, Buzz. Keep looking and once your done make your way to the theatre" Juliet said and then she put the radio back down. Lassiter had finally gotten out of the traffic jam and was now making his way towards the theatre.

* * *

The four finally arrived at the theatre, taking much longer than it was supposed and taking much longer than any of them were willing to take. They all took notice to the car that was already parked out in front. They took it as a good sign. This hopefully meant that they were in fact right about Shawn's clues and that Shawn was here. If that was true, this meant they weren't too late. But they didn't want to get their hopes up too high. They had to keep hope and they to remain optimistic, but all the worst case scenarios remained in their heads.

What if it was all a trick? What if Shawn was killed as soon as they saw him? What if the kidnappers understood the clues Shawn was giving them and killed him? What if they killed him in the theatre. And the worst though of all, what if they had been too late? What if they come in just as Shawn was shot or stabbed. What then? How would any of them be able to live with themselves.

Carton and Juliet approached the parked car with their guns ready. They pointed the guns to the window of the car, checking each seat to make sure it was empty. Sure enough, it was. No one was in the car. But when Henry held up a torch to take a proper look inside, they found that the back seat was covered in blood. Gus was even able to hold back his normal reflexes in this situation. He was far too focused on the fact that that blood belonged to his possibly dead best friend.

The four of them ran towards the entrance of the theatre before Carlton turned back and faced Henry.

"Stay by the car" Carlton said, desperate to keep family out of this case. Then he turned back to the door.

"Excuse me?" Henry yelled.

"Stay by the car!" Carlton yelled back.

"If you think for one second I'm staying here while my son is in there possibly dead, you're in for a shock."

"We're going in. Stay by the car in case we miss them or in case they find a back exit."

"Lassiter, I-"

"The longer we argue about this, the less time we have to save your son! Now stay by the car!" Carlton yelled.

Henry stared after the two detectives and Gus as the three of them ran into the theatre. Henry looked up and prayed to God – something he never used to do often – that they would find his son in time. He took back every harsh word he said to him, every criticism and every single time he told his son no. If his son died before he got the chance to say he was sorry or before he got the chance to tell him how much he cared for him, Henry Spencer would never forgive himself.

* * *

Carlton entered the theatre first, gun already held up at a position to kill. He looked around, checking both corridors before signalling at the others to come in. Juliet went in next, gun up and ready. She and Carlton looked around, checking for any sign of the kidnappers, any sign of Shawn or any sign of a struggle. Gus entered last and was the first to notice the blood.

"Hey guys" he called out, crouching down to get a better look at the blood on the ground. "Take a look at this." Carlton and Juliet crouched down next to him. Carlton put his finger on top and played with it in his hands.

"It's not dry yet. This happened recently" Carlton said. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Shawn was alive when he entered the theatre. Whether or not he was still alive was unknown to all of them. "The trail of blood continues on towards that direction" Carlton said, pointing towards the backstage. "But it stops soon after."

"We should follow it" Juliet said.

"But what if it's a trick?" Gus asked. "What if they set it up so that we follow the trail only to find Shawn isn't there and we're too late?" Carlton and Juliet exchanged glances.

"It's your call" Carlton said to Juliet.

"I… I don't… I don't kno-" Juliet was then cut off by a yell in pain, easily recognizable as Shawn, coming from the stage.

The three of them didn't have the time to exhale in relief that for the moment Shawn was alive. As soon as they heard the scream, they ran to Shawn's aid. They all tried to remember that for the moment he's alive. But that would quickly be replaced with the though; 'Yes, but for how long?'

They finally arrived at the stage to see a sight they all hoped never to have to see again. Natalie was sprawled on the floor, already starting to pick herself up. Shawn was on his knees, hands tied behind is back, face in pure agony. And then worst of all, William Pond was holding on to Shawn's head, holding a knife to Shawn's throat. A drop of blood already falling down his neck.

Carlton and Juliet both pointed their gun to William's head. "FREEZE!" they both yelled. Gus hid behind the two detectives and Natalie quickly stood up, searching frantically for her gun. William pulled Shawn up to his feet and placed his knife back onto Shawn's neck.

"Put down your weapon!" Carlton yelled.

"I know how this plays out now" William said. "Put down your guns, or he dies."

Juliet stared at Shawn. Shawn stared at both detectives, thankful they were there to save him, but unsure of what to do next.

_The sound. It's still there. It sounds like something is rubbing against something else. __That squeaking. _The sound of a rope being strained. That's what the sound was!

"I SAID PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPON!" Carlton yelled. Natalie finally found her gun and held it up and pointed it to Juliet. Carlton switched his aim to Natalie.

"Put down your guns, or the psychic dies!" William yelled. "I will do it!"

Juliet remembered then… this man had killed four people with a knife. He would have killed Shawn a minute ago if the three of them hadn't walked in just in time. William Pond would kill Shawn. There was no doubt in Juliet's mind about it. Juliet put down her gun and placed it on the floor, focusing on Shawn only. Shawn was looking up, staring at something. Juliet followed his gaze but saw nothing, so she looked to her partner.

"Carlton, put it down" she said.

"You should listen to you partner" William said.

"Put your weapon down!" Carlton said again. "Put it down!"

"Do you really think I won't do it?" William asked. "Put down your gun!"

"Carlton-"

"Put down your weapon!"

William moved his knife from Shawn's throat and stabbed him in the gut. This time, he didn't yell. He didn't struggle he didn't yell he didn't even grunt. He just looked down at the knife in he stomach and suddenly felt himself collapsing to the ground. William held him up, supporting Shawn's full weight. He yanked his knife out of Shawn's stomach and put it back to Shawn's throat.

"LASSIE PUT DOWN YOUR GUN!" Gus yelled.

"Shawn…" Juliet said barely above a whisper. Tears were already falling as all she could do was stare at her doomed boyfriend. Carlton looked at Shawn, waiting for a sign that he was still alive. Shawn opened his eyes and stared at Carlton. And at last, he put his gun on the ground and kicked it over.

"Well, congratulations, psychic" William said. "You get one more chance to find me my money." Shawn looked up again, finally finding the source of the noise.

"Gus…" Shawn croaked. Gus stared at Shawn, hoping these wouldn't be his last words. "Gus, take a step back." Everyone stared at him in confusion. "Just take a step back!" Shawn said with as much force as he could. Gus quickly did as told and just as he did, one of the sand bags from the ceiling fell right where Gus was standing.

Gus stared at the sandbag in front of him in shock. He had come to save Shawn and yet… there was his best friend, practically dead, saving him. Once again. To everyone's surprise and confusion, Shawn was smiling.

"Gus, look around" Shawn said, his voice only just audible. "look at the set. Who's set is this?" Gus looked around, eyes wide.

"It's Helga Duff's set!"

"Exactly. That sandbag was meant to fall. That sandbag was meant to kill Helga Duff." Natalie immediately looked at her husband, suspecting him in an instant. She wouldn't be surprised if she found out that William had set that up.

"I don't understand what that has to do with my money" William said.

"It has everything to do with the money" Shawn said. "Helga Duff had left 2 million dollars to Drake Ramoray in her will. Drake intended on killing Helga Duff and getting her money. That's why you over heard him talking about rebuilding the theatre. He knew he'd get the money soon. It would look like an accident. A sand bag fell and hit Helga on the head. She died instantly. 2 million dollars are then delivered to Drake Ramoray and in Helga's memory, he rebuilds the theatre. Making it bigger and better."

"But Helga is still alive and well" Gus said.

"So… there's no money?" Natalie asked. Shawn chuckled.

"Not a penny." William stared at Natalie in shock. "So there" Shawn continued. "That solves your whole money case. Now if you don't mind, I'd very much like to go to the hospital." Shawn felt a lump in his throat and finally coughed, something he'd been holding in. Shawn coughed up blood. He lost strength and began to collapse again but William held him up, knowing very well that Shawn was his only way out of this way. Natalie put down her gun.

"What are you doing?" William asked. Natalie place her gun on the floor and kicked it out of the way. She put her hands behind her head and started walking towards Juliet and Carlton.

"There's no money" Natalie said. "It's not worth it. To run forever, being chased by cops and there's not even a penny for us." Juliet pulled out her handcuffs and cuffed Natalie's hands behind her back. "No one dies." Natalie repeated.

William stared at her wife, shocked. But he stayed strong. He was not going back to prison. Not in a million years. He still has Shawn. The detectives couldn't do anything while he was still holding Shawn. And, the proof was right in front of him. Neither Carlton nor Juliet went to get their guns. They just stared at Shawn, waiting for him to be safe again. William swallowed, trying desperately to come up with a plan to get out of this mess.

William pushed Shawn to the ground and ran towards the exit. Carlton ran to his gun, picked it up and chased after William. Gus and Juliet ran to Shawn. Juliet quickly untied Shawn and held him close. Gus got out his phone and quickly called the ambulance. Natalie didn't run, though she could have. She just stared at the dying man before her, knowing very well that she could have stopped this.

* * *

Carlton was chasing William, gun in hand. William was taking random turns, hoping to finally lose the cop that was chasing him. There was enough distance between them that if he could just get to the doors, he could lock Carlton in. and then he'd be home free. So he ran towards the doors and just as he made it out, he shut them and locked it. On the other side of the glass door, Carlton finally arrived. He shook the door, trying desperately to open it. Once he realized he couldn't, he pointed his gun to William's head, hoping that the glass wasn't bulletproof.

* * *

Henry was waiting by the car, just as Carlton had told him. All he could do was think about his son. Was he alive? Would he be alive in five minutes? Is he safe? Then, he looked at the entrance. He saw a man run to the doors. He just made it through before he shut them behind him and locked it. Then, he saw Carlton on the other side of the doors, desperately trying to open them. Then, Carlton pointed his gun at the man on the outside.

That was all Henry needed.

He ran towards the man on the outside and tackled him down. He punched him hard in the face. Luckily, surprise was on Henry's side. He was easily able to turn William over and with the pair of handcuffs Carlton left in his car, Henry handcuffed William's hands behind his back.

Henry picked William up and dragged him along with him. He unlocked the door and greeted Carlton, who was still lost for words after seeing Henry take down William so easily.

"Don't look so shocked, Lassiter" Henry said. "Now, where's my son?" Carlton snapped back into reality.

"Uhhh…."

"Oh my God" Henry said. "Is he…."

"No. But…" Henry handed William to Carlton, as if he were a used unwanted toy and then ran to the stage where he found his son on the floor covered in blood. His head was on Juliet's lap and Gus was sitting right next to Shawn, holding on to his hand. All three of them were crying. Henry approached his dying son, scared that the ambulance might not make it in time.

"Dad" Shawn said but Henry just put a finger to his lips.

"Save your strength, kiddo" he said. Shawn put a small smile on his face as more tears rolled down his face. Henry couldn't stay strong any more. He collapsed to the ground and held Shawn's hand, sobbing. Without saying a word, Henry managed to show Shawn exactly what he had wanted to tell him. Shawn squeezed his hand in reply. Showing his dad what he had wanted to tell him.

Lassiter approached them with Buzz McNabb behind him. Buzz grabbed Natalie's arm and escorted her out of the building. After, of course, telling Shawn what a great friend he was and that he was sorry he couldn't come earlier and help.

"You not gonna say bye, Lassie?" Shawn asked, trying to add in a little chuckle. But it just turned into another cough.

"Why would I do that?" Carlton asked.

"Dammit, Carlton!" Juliet said, tears still streaming down her face. "I know you and Shawn have had your differences but at least be here with him!"

"There's no point. An ambulance will arrive any minute and he'll be fine" Carlton said, trying to convince himself more so than to convince the others. Shawn managed to get a small chuckle in, before he finally gave into the darkness.

Despite the cries and the screams and the begging, Shawn gave in.

Surrounded by darkness, the pain was finally gone. He was numb all over. Nothing could hurt him anymore. And then he saw the most beautiful thing in the world. A glorious white light.


	9. Chapter 9

**Dun dun DUNN! Left you all on another cliffy. A sad cliffy. But a cliffy none the less. **

**Please review!**

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Juliet was sobbing hysterically into the shoulder of Henry Spencer. Henry Spencer let the silent tears fall, keeping the good memories of Shawn alive. Lassiter still hadn't taken in the death and was staring wide eyed at Shawn's lifeless body. Gus refused to take in Shawn's death and was still frantically and desperately giving chest compression while yelling "Don't you give up on me, Shawn!"

At last, the ambulance arrived. They quickly took over from Gus, placing monitors to see Shawn's heartbeat. A long, endless, high pitched beep came from the monitor. Two men escorted Henry, Juliet, Carlton and Gus into another room, though none of them went all to willingly. The other two took out the defibrillators from the back of the ambulance. One rubbed the two pads together and then placed them on Shawn's chest. The first wave rocked through Shawn's body, making him jump up but then returning to his lifeless limp state.

The men increased the Voltage and tried again. They rubbed the pads together, placed it on Shawn's chest and another wave went through his body. Again, he jumped up, but other than that nothing. They tried again. Increased the voltage, rubbed the pads together, and placed on his chest. Shawn's body jumped up and returned to the usual state. And then, finally, the most beautiful sound. A gap in between the high pitched noise coming from the monitors.

"We got a pulse."

* * *

The ambulance ride was one that Henry Spencer hoped he would soon forget. As soon as he heard that his son had a pulse, he insisted – no, demanded- that he be allowed to travel in the ambulance with him. The paramedics didn't exactly have the time available to argue, so they let him.

Shawn's heart gave up three times before at last they arrived at the hospital. Shawn was just losing way to much blood. Each time his heart stopped, the paramedics got closer and closer to giving up on Shawn. But, of course, they never did. Now, at last, they were at the hospital. Shawn was in surgery for the past three hours. Henry, Gus, Juliet and Carlton were at the coffee shop in the hospital, anxiously awaiting any news.

Not a word had been said in those three hours. They all just stared into their now cold coffee. They all hoped that Shawn would live through this. Chief Vick arrived. She approached Henry first. She didn't know what to say. What could she have said? 'Sorry your son died on a case we didn't believe in?' instead, she placed a hand on Henry's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. Henry just sighed, acknowledging her sympathy.

"It's all my fault" Gus said, breaking the silence. Everyone stared at him. "I should have gone with him. We all know how Shawn can be sometimes, always getting himself into trouble. I should have been there to keep him out."

"It wasn't your fault" Chief Vick said. She looked around at the other four, immediately understanding that every single one of them blamed themselves. "It wasn't any of your faults. You want to know what put Shawn in the hospital? William Pond. Not you. And believe me, he's going to spend a long time in jail for that."

"He got out in 10 years for killing 4 people. Who's to say he won't get out again?" Gus asked.

"He's a repeated offender this time. They'll keep a better eye on him" Chief assured him.

"What about Natalie?" Juliet asked, remembering how she gave herself up and didn't even run.

"We're still investigating that."

And then it was silent. And it remained that way until finally, forty nine minutes later, a nurse approached them.

"Henry Spencer?" she asked. Henry looked at her, fearing the worst.

"Yes?"

"Come with us" was all the nurse said. She led him down the hall until finally they came to a corridor outside a room. The room was locked and the blinds were shut. "Wait here. A doctor will be here shortly."

"How's my son?" she just looked at him with apologetic eyes and opened the door to the room behind them.

* * *

A doctor approached Henry Spencer, who was sitting by Shawn's bed. Shawn was so lifeless. He lay in that hospital bed, leg wrapped up and elevated. He had an oxygen tube going through his nose and even had his stomach wrapped up. It had only been half an hour since Shawn got out of surgery.

"May I have a word with you?" the Doctor asked Henry. Henry nodded grimly. They stood up and walked outside Shawn's room.

"Please tell me he's alright" Henry said. "The nurse wasn't very helpful. She just said that Shawn was out of surgery. When I asked for more, she just told me the same thing." The doctor smiled.

"He's going to be fine" the doctor said. Immediately, the heavy load was lifted off Henry as he exhaled in relief. Those five words made his day. "the cut on his leg was stitched up. That was the easy bit. We got the bullet out of his foot. It hit a vein when he was shot, so that was pretty important to sew up. As for his stomach, the knife _just_ pierced his intestine. We did manage to patch it up and we were also able to deal with all the fluids that got out. If the knife went in any further, he would have been dead for sure. Your son is very lucky to be alive." Henry smiled.

"That's my boy" he said with a smile.

"He just needs to rest right now. He shouldn't be awake until tomorrow. I suggest going home, getting some rest yourself. We'll call you if anything changes or if he wakes up early."

"That's alright, doc. I want to be here when my son wakes up." The doctor nodded, very used to hearing that from parents. He gestured to Shawn's room but Henry shook his head.

"Do you mind if I give the others the good news?" he asked. The doctor smiled.

"Not at all."

* * *

Juliet, Carlton and Gus stayed at the coffee shop. The nurse had said that only family could go see Shawn. That only made them worry more. They feared that the worst had happened. Why wouldn't the nurse tell them anything other than 'He's out of surgery'?

After a while, the chief left to go back to the station. She had more work to do but told the others to call her if anything changed in Shawn's health.

Carlton stood up and walked to the window, staring out of it. Juliet had never seen Carlton look so upset. So she walked over to him. Gus, however, stayed where he was. He didn't even notice people had left. He was far too focused on his best friend.

"Carlton?" Juliet asked. He turned to face her and Juliet saw his eyes starting to water. "Oh, Carlton." She walked up to him and gave him a hug. While patting his back, she said "Talk to me." Carlton just shook his head. "Come on, Carlton. It's not good to keep this all locked up.

"He can't die" he said, his voice betraying his 'I don't care' façade. Juliet nodded.

"We don't know yet, Carlton. He could be just fine."

"But what if he isn't?" he asked. "I should have put my gun down. I should have known. He killed four people. How bad could he feel if he killed one more? I should have put my gun down…"

"Your heart was in the right place. You didn't think he would do it. And no one blames you. I know for sure that Shawn wouldn't." Carlton shook his head.

"If Spencer doesn't survive this, I don't think I could ever forgive myself." Juliet didn't know what else to say. So she said nothing at all. She just gave him another hug.

Henry approached Gus, who was now sitting alone at the table. Gus looked up to see a smile on Henry's face. And that was all he needed. Gus jumped up, hopeful eyes and a new smile on his face.

"Is he?" Henry nodded. "He's alright?!" Gus exclaimed. Carlton and Juliet turned around, hearing Gus's ecstatic voice.

"There you two are!" Henry exclaimed.

"Shawn's alright?" Juliet asked.

"He'll live!" Henry exclaimed.

"Well, that's great" Carlton said, his bravado act back on. "Now, if you excuse me, I've got work to do. What a waste of time this has been." Juliet gave him a look.

"Come on, Lassie" Gus said. Carlton sighed.

"Well, I suppose I could spare a couple minutes…" he said. Henry lead the way with Gus following slowly behind. Juliet looked at Carlton, who had a huge smile on his face.

* * *

Henry was sitting in Shawn's room. He had finally fallen asleep. Henry was tossing and turning, wondering of Shawn really was alright. Shawn hadn't moved a muscle since he was last in his room and he was afraid something might have happened. Gus, Carlton and Juliet had all gone home at 2 o'clock in the morning, after Henry promised he would call as soon as Shawn woke up. It was five o'clock when Henry finally fell asleep.

At six thirteen, the heart rate monitor that Shawn was hooked up to started to speed up. The faster and odd beeping caused Henry to wake up. Just as he did, he saw Shawn's eyes slowly pry open. Shawn fully opened his eyes and looked around, finally finding the familiar face of his father.

"Dad?" Shawn asked.

Henry didn't care if he only got an hour sleep. He didn't care if he never slept again. His son was alive. His son was conscious. That was all that he cared about. Henry walked up to his son and hugged him tight, never wanting to let go. Soon Henry found himself crying of joy as he looked into his son's very confused eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! Second last chapter (so sad to be so close to be finished!)**

**Please review! I love reviews. The good the bad and the ugly.**

* * *

Juliet met Carlton and Gus at the hospital. It was ten in the morning and they had not long ago gotten a call from Henry saying Shawn had woken up. Once they arrived at the hospital, they all raced to the receptionist's desk, demanding to know where Shawn was. As soon as they heard the number, they ran full speed towards the room. They didn't knock or anything, they just burst in.

"Um… hey guys…" Shawn said. Shawn was only in his underwear. The doctors were nice enough to let him keep that. The doctors were just taking a look at his injuries, making sure that they were treated correctly and that nothing was wrong with them.

"We can… come back later" Carlton said, being the only person who had never seen this much skin showing on Shawn.

"don't be stupid. I'm awake and bored. Come on in!" Shawn said. Juliet was the first one in and soon as she was close enough, she buried her face in Shawn's shoulder.

"Don't you ever be so stupidly reckless again!" Juliet cried.

"Jules, you don't have to worry about me…" Shawn said.

"But I do. I worry about you every time you do something stupid that could possibly get you killed. And I'm not the only one who does. So you should just stop."

"And I worry about you every time you grab your gun and follow a bad guy" Shawn said. Juliet stared at him before finally moving in for a kiss.

"Ok, that settles it" Carlton said, far too uncomfortable with the situation. "I'm coming back later."

"Lassie, get back here!" Shawn called out. Carlton poked his head back through the door.

"Is it over yet?" he asked.

"Yes, yes. We promise only to kiss when you children aren't in the room" Shawn said. Gus held up a Mars Bar and immediately, Shawn's attention was diverted.

"Ooh! A chocolate bar!"

"And we're the children…" Carlton said. Just as Shawn was about to open his bar, the doctor grabbed it from him.

"Your cholesterol is far too high" he said. "I'll keep it for safe keeping." The doctor then opened the packet and took a bite. "I'll be back to check on you later." Shawn stared after the doctor.

"Can you believe that?" Shawn asked.

"Well, you do eat a lot of junk…" Juliet said.

"I have been shot and stabbed. I deserve _at least_ a candy bar!" and with those simple words the entire room fell silent. And Shawn saw clearly the blame they each felt. "You've gotta be kidding me. How was any of this you fault? Just name one thing!"

"I shouldn't have let you go alone" they all said at once and then stared at each other. Shawn stared at all of them.

"That's stupid. You think that if you came with me, things would be different? They probably would have just killed us on sight if they saw you two, because your detectives! And besides, you didn't even know what I was doing! As for you, Gus, I _told_ you to go to the chief. So it's not your fault. It's not any of your faults! And if I ever hear you blaming yourselves again, I will never share a candy bar with you ever again!"

"You don't do that now" Gus said.

"Gus, don't be Garfield on a Monday. It's the thought that counts."

"You've used that one before."

"Have I? I must be tired... What do you think Lavender Gooms?"

"Used that one before too."

"Huh…"

"I can't listen to any more of this" Carlton said.

"Lassie! Stay!"

"I would rather bungee jump without a properly test rope."

"That's a little dark" Gus said.

"I should go follow him" Juliet said. "I'll see you soon?"

"Don't forget your lips" Shawn said. Juliet and Gus looked at him. "I'm just not feelin' it today…" Juliet smiled and kissed her boyfriend again before taking off after Carlton.

Then it was just Shawn and Gus in the room.

"So…" Gus said. Looking away from Shawn.

"So…" Shawn replied, looking away from Gus. Then, they both turned to look at each other. Gus went running into Shawn's open arms and finally the duo was reunited. "I've missed your magic 8 ball head."

"And I've missed your sweet white chocolate smell" Gus said.

* * *

It was a single week since the accident. Shawn was already back up on his feet. Well, foot. Doctor's orders to have crutches for at least another week. William's trial had already passed. There was so much evidence pinned against him, he was done for. They even managed to pin the charity theft on him, thanks to Shawn. He was sentenced to life in jail. This time, however, it would take a lot more that kissing ass to get out on parole so early.

It was Natalie's trial at last. Shawn was a witness and had to appear in court. He was supposed to be a witness in William's trial as well, but it turned out there was already so much evidence against him they didn't need Shawn at all. Turns out, police witnessing you holding a knife to a person's neck is enough evidence to get you convicted. Shawn did show up on one of the last days to have a 'Psychic Vision' about the charity theft back in 2010. Natalie was then brought to the stand and she confessed everything.

Shawn approached the box and the lawyers asked him questions. Henry sat in the crowd, watching his son testify feeling a strange sense of joy and pride. His son the detective was testifying.

Shawn remained honest while under oath. With every question the lawyers asked, Shawn found that the honest and truthful answers were constantly in Natalie's favour.

"Tell me, Mr Spencer. Did Natalie ever touch you?" one lawyer asked. There was a slight chuckle in the crowd. Yes, yes. Very funny. A girl helped kidnap a guy and now they want to know if the bad bad girl hurt him.

"No" Shawn said. "Well, only when she was untying me."

"And did she make any threats to you?"

"She said I'd be dead soon. But that's not exactly a threat. More just general statement that anyone would give once they saw the condition I was in. Hell, my old man even said it."

"Okay, but tell me… if Natalie was such a great person and this was all Mr Pond's doing, then why didn't she ever try to help you throughout the entire time you were kidnapped?"

"What makes you say that?" Shawn asked. Everyone stared at him confused. "She did help me. Twice. I think I would have died really soon if it weren't for her." Juliet, Gus, Henry and Carlton all stared at Shawn. They had hardly ever heard anything of the case and had never heard about Natalie helping him.

The court room had spent hours and hours on this particular case. Natalie was obviously guilty of being associated with the crime, but it confused them to know that she had actually helped Shawn. In the end, she was sentenced to 42 months in prison. A charge that was very generous and would have been impossible if it weren't for Shawn.

Juliet, Carlton, Gus and Henry made their way to the chief, annoyed and desperate for some answers. They finally found Chief Vick amongst the crowds of people and cornered her.

"Chief" Juliet called out. The chief looked up to see them surrounding her.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Why did you keep us out of Shawn's case?" Juliet asked and just as she did, Shawn approached them in crutches.

"Hey guys!" he said.

"Because Spencer here asked me to" Chief Vick said.

"What?!" Henry exclaimed.

"Shawn!" Gus yelled and Carlton just groaned. The chief used this as an excuse to make her quick getaway. The original four turned to face Shawn, glaring at him. Shawn just stared right back at him wanting to run away from this argument that he had just stumbled upon.

"What? COMING, CHIEF!" Shawn said, trying to make a dash for it. Carlton grabbed Shawn's shoulder and held him in place.

"Why did you keep us out of the case, Shawn?" Juliet asked, folding her arms.

"Well…" Shawn started, very conscious that Carlton was tightening his grip on his shoulder. Shawn sighed, admitting defeat. "You guys were blaming yourselves for every little thing. I figured that the less you knew… the less you could blame yourselves…"

There it was again. Shawn was the one who was hurt. Shawn was the one that should be cared for, and yet… there he was. Taking care of them. That's how it always ended up. Gus, Carlton, Henry and Juliet exchanged awkward and guilty glances. It shouldn't be like this.

"Shawn, you shouldn't have to worry about us" Juliet said.

"But I do. Every single day" Shawn said.

"Then you know how we feel" Gus said.

"Let's make a deal" Henry said. "If we all promise not to use it unless the situation demands it, can we _please_, install the GPS back onto your phone?"

"You'll do the same?" Shawn asked, staring at everyone around him.

"I already have GPS on my phone!" Gus said.

"Yes, fine" Carlton said. Juliet nodded as well. They all then pulled out their phones and started to put GPS back onto their phones.

"Only if the situation demands it" Juliet confirmed, suddenly feeling the invasion of privacy Shawn must have felt before. Everybody nodded in agreement.

Shawn looked towards the front of the court room, where he saw Natalie in orange being escorted out of the room in handcuffs. Natalie's eyes met Shawn's and she looked at him gratefully but completely confused.

* * *

**Not actually sure if Shawn ever said "Don't be Garfield on a Monday". But if he hasn't, let's just for the sake of this chapter say he did.**

**Stay tuned for the last chapter! (should be out tomorrow... SHOULD)**


	11. Chapter 11

**The last chapter is here! The ending is very different to the rest of the fanfic. You'll see.**

**Please review! Good, Bad, Fantastic, Terrible. I want it all!**

* * *

Shawn walked into the police station, very curious about the call he had just received. Carlton had called him, telling him to come to the station. He said nothing else. He sounded very pissed, but that was it. That was all Shawn could make out of the entire conversation. Gus followed Shawn closely, something he did very often ever since Shawn got out of the hospital. At first Shawn complained, but he figured that soon enough Gus would get it out of his system. Then, everything would be back to normal again. He hoped.

Shawn approached Carlton's desk, with a huge smile on his face. Carlton looked up to face the smiling idiot and groaned. Juliet smacked him on the back of his head, trying to make him be nicer to her boyfriend. Shawn stared at Gus confused. Wasn't Carlton the one who told them to come down in the first place?

"What's up, Lassie?" Shawn asked. "Do you need some of my expertise?" Shawn was already placing his hand to his forehead. Carlton just laughed.

"I will never need your expertise" Carlton said.

"You hear that, Gus? Lassie just admitted my expertise!" Carlton stared at Shawn, debating smacking him. "Look, the sooner you tell me why you brought me down here, the sooner I can leave and return to my Jaws marathon." Carlton sighed.

"Natalie wants to see you." Shawn looked at Carlton, taken back. It had been three days since the trial. He thought he had seen the last of Natalie. He thought wrong.

"Okay" Shawn said calmly. This caused Gus to stare at him and then explode.

"No!" Gus yelled. "Not okay! She _kidnapped_ you, Shawn! She might have helped you, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she did kidnap you!"

"Gus, relax. It's not like I'm going unprotected. It's going to be, what? Interrogation room? Or the visiting room? There will be cops everywhere." The look on Carlton's face told him how wrong he was. "Or not."

"She wanted a private room. Wanted to talk to you about the case and didn't want anyone to hear about it" Carlton said angrily.

"He's just annoyed because he's been trying to get that private room with Marlowe" Juliet answered Shawn's mental question. "They won't let him. Despite him being a cop. And now they're letting you go with someone who tried to kill you."

"She didn't try to kill me" Shawn said, already making his way towards the private rooms. "She tried to save me."

Shawn met his father outside of the room. The door was closed and there was only one guard there. And also his father. Carlton quickly approached Shawn and stopped him before he entered the room. He handed him a device.

"This is a sort of distress signal" Carlton said. "We aren't allowed in, so if anything goes wrong – whether she attacks you are tries to escape - just push the button and we'll come in." Shawn nodded, not even a little bit worried.

"We'll be right outside if you need us" Henry said. Shawn shrugged and put his hand on the door knob. Carlton pulled him back.

"Will you understand how serious this is?" he hissed. "She could have killed you. I don't understand why you defended her so much in court. She should be rotting in jail. But instead, she's going to get out in less than four years!" Shawn just smiled.

"You don't know the whole story" Shawn said, patting Carlton's shoulder. Carlton just stared at him and watched him turn the handle and push the door open.

Shawn walked into the room to see Natalie in an orange jumpsuit sitting by a table in the middle of the room. She looked up as she heard Shawn enter the room and smiled.

"Shawn" She said happily. "I… didn't think you would show…"

"You have something about the case?" Shawn said. Natalie's face fell slightly.

"Not really" Natalie said. Shawn raised an eyebrow at her. "Not at all, actually. You figured everything out. I just have questions for you. And this seemed like the only way to actually get a hold of you, seeing as you would never visit."

"Why would I visit?"

"I don't know. I just thought you might." There was an awkward moment of silence before she spoke again. "I killed a man." Shawn stared at her. "Drake Remoray. I killed him." Natalie met Shawn's eyes.

"No. you didn't. It was an accident-"

"I killed him. If I hadn't gone in that booth that day, he would still be alive-"

"And then Helga Duff would be dead." Natalie opened her mouth to speak but then shut it once she realized she was lost for words. "Natalie, it was an accident. Santa Barbara's finest said it themselves. You never went to the theatre with the intention to kill. It was an accident."

"I pointed my gun at him-"

"Yeah, but the safety was on." Natalie stared at him, confused.

"How did you know that?"

"You just confirmed it." There was another awkward moment of silence.

"I guess my marriage is over…" Natalie said grimly. Shawn nodded. "Looks like I'm going to be alone, then…" Natalie stood up and took a step towards Shawn.

"Seems like it…" Shawn said, feeling uncomfortable with where this was going. Natalie smiled at him.

"I don't want to be alone…" Natalie closed the distance between herself and Shawn. Her face was inches away from Shawn's.

"Well, you know… plenty of fish in the sea and what not…" Shawn quickly said, taking a step back. He then felt the wall and Natalie once again closed the distance between them. She looked up into Shawn's eyes, and leaned in, hoping to steal a kiss.

Shawn pushed her away.

"I'm dating a detective" Shawn said quickly. Natalie stopped. "She carries a gun." Shawn hinted again. Natalie stepped back, going red in both cheeks.

"I'm such an idiot" she said, barely above a whisper. Shawn approached, finding himself trying to comfort her.

"Look, Natalie… one day – after you serve your sentence – you're going to meet someone. And you're going to realise why no other relationship worked. You won't be alone." Natalie started tearing up.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because you're a great girl. You're caring and nice-"

"Yeah, that's why I'm in prison."

"It is, actually" Shawn said. Natalie looked at her. "You cared about me. You cared about Helga. You cared about every single person William threatened. You turned yourself in, because you realized what you were doing was wrong. You could have run away. But you didn't. You'll meet someone one day. But I'm not that someone." Natalie smiled, already feeling better.

"Shawn Spencer… You are incredible. I am so sorry for what I've put you through. I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you." Shawn smiled.

"Get your life back. Be that happy girl who started a charity in memory of her grandmother. Then we can call it even." Natalie smiled at him, tearing up again.

"Can I ask you for one more favour?" she asked, wiping away a tear.

"Sure." Natalie pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Shawn.

"Can you give this to Helga? I owe her an apology… And I worry I'll never get to do that in person…" Shawn smiled and nodded.

"Of course I will" Shawn said, taking the letter and putting it his coat pocket.

The door then opened and Henry walked in.

"Ten minutes are up" he said. Two guards then went in the room and escorted Natalie out. Shawn then left the room, following his father back up to the main entrance.

Gus, Juliet and Carlton were waiting for him there. The first they did was question him. Shawn made up a quick lie about how Natalie had asked to speak with Shawn to confirm that she had nothing to do with the sandbag that should have fallen on Helga's head. Juliet and Carlton accepted the lie immediately, but as soon as Shawn asked Gus to take him for a smoothie, Gus knew he was hiding something.

* * *

Gus and Shawn went in line at the new smoothie factory. They both ordered a pineapple smoothie and sat down at a table. Gus didn't even take a sip of his smoothie before he went straight into Shawn's interrogation.

"What did she really talk to you about?" he asked. Shawn stared at his friend, shocked.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Natalie. Don't lie to me, Shawn. I know she didn't talk to you about Helga." There was a stare off before Shawn caved in.

"Fine, fine. But don't tell Jules" Shawn said. Gus's eyes opened wide. "Natalie… might… have tried to make a move on me…"

"Shawn!"

"I told her no!" Gus stared at him in the eye again, trying to find the truth. Once he was satisfied, he took a sip from his smoothie.

"So why hide it from Juliet?"

"Are you kidding? She has a gun." Gun nodded in agreement.

"Why did you want to leave the station in such a hurry?" Shawn pulled out a piece of paper.

"I need to deliver this to Helga" Gus stared at the paper in fascination.

"What does it say?"

"I'm not reading it, Gus. That's private. And reading someone else's mail is illegal."

"You know what else is illegal? Kidnapping someone." Shawn sighed.

"Come on, Mr Grumpy Gills. We need to see Helga."

* * *

Shawn knocked three times on Helga's door. Almost immediately, it was opened to reveal the beautiful Helga Duff. She smiled at the sight of her favourite detective and then frowned at his crutches.

"Ah. Shawn. Where is Mr Jenkins?" Helga asked. Shawn looked at her confused.

"Who?"

"Your… partner?"

"Oh! He's just staying in the car. He's a bit upset with me."

"Nothing to serious I hope. Come on in." Shawn smiled and entered the woman's lovely home. "I do apologise for the state you're in."

"Why? It wasn't your fault."

"It was my money they were after" Helga sighed. "What am I to do with this damned money."

"What do you mean?" Helga smiled.

"78, remember? Now I've got no one to leave my money to." Helga then looked at Shawn with new inspiration. "How would you like four and a half million dollars?"

"f-f-f-f-f-f-f…million?" Shawn stuttered. He then shook his head. "nono. I couldn't."

"I insist."

"As do I" Shawn said, surprising even himself. "Ms Duff, you're wasting your life."

"I'm… sorry?"

"Look at you. Throwing away money as if it meant nothing!"

"It does mean noth-"

"No! Helga, you are seventy eight years _young_. You have four and a half million dollars to _spare_! Do you have any idea how many people are fortunate enough to be in your situation? Not very many! Please, do me a favour. Do Drake a favour. Hell, do yourself a favour! Go live your life." Helga stared at him in shock. "Go on a cruise! Go visit Egypt! Go to Antarctica! Rebuild the theatre, invest in a charity, _any_thing! Don't spend the rest of your life stuck in this room wondering who needs your money. When you're in your nineties, _then_ you can start worrying about your money. _Then_ you can start thinking about your will. For now, please, just enjoy your life and keep your money to yourself!"

Shawn stared at Helga, slightly out of breath from his speech.

"Well, Shawn…" Helga said at last, breaking the silence. "You've given me a lot to think about…" Helga started showing Shawn the way out. Then Shawn remembered Natalie.

"Oh, and one more thing" Shawn took out Natalie's letter and handed it to Helga. "She's very sorry. She's afraid she'll never get to tell you just how sorry she is herself." Helga picked up the letter and stared at it. "I would talk to her." Helga then smiled a true and genuine smile.

"Of course I will" she said. She opened the door for Shawn. "Thank you" she said. "You remarkable young man."

* * *

**Epilogue. Helga Duff's Funeral**.

* * *

Shawn held Juliet's hand and together they walked in to the ceremony. Shawn had a frown on his face and Juliet gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. The relationship Shawn had with Helga was messed up, complicated, confusing and weird. But they meant a lot to each other.

When Shawn forgot to pay the bills one month, he found that some mysterious woman had paid them for him. When Helga found herself needing an extra hand building the theatre, she could always rely on a young man to come and help. They didn't see much of each other. Helga was often out, seeing the world. Just as Shawn had told her to do. Every so often, Shawn would receive a post card from her. And he would post it up, proud of this wonderful woman.

When Natalie got released from jail, Helga offered her a job almost immediately. Natalie was set for life. Natalie managed to apologise in person for the way she had acted and she explained her whole situation. Or at least, she tried to. Helga simply told her to shut her mouth. She didn't care about what she did as long as she was willing to help now. And she was.

"Mrs. Jones?" Shawn called out. Natalie turned around and faced Shawn. She hugged him tight.

"Oh, Shawn" Natalie said, tears instantly falling. Shawn gave her a supportive pat on the back.

"Where's Mark?" Shawn asked.

"He went to get me some tissues" Natalie said. "I've been a mess. Oh, Juliet. Thanks for coming." Juliet smiled at Shawn's former kidnapper – something she never thought she'd do.

"Don't mention it" she said.

"And Gus?" Natalie asked.

"With the kids" Shawn said. Natalie sighed. She knew what that meant.

"He still hasn't forgiven me, has he?" she asked. Shawn thought back to Gus and the day Natalie was released. No. He hadn't. and he never would. Shawn quickly shook away the thoughts of the kidnapping fourteen years ago.

"Afraid not." Natalie nodded. Mark then approached them and kissed Natalie on her forehead, comforting her in her time of need. He then shook Shawn's hand, understand his complicated relationship with Helga as well.

At some point during the service – Shawn wasn't sure at what point exactly – he had started to cry. Silently, the tears would stream down his cheeks and fall to the ground.

After the service, a man asked to talk to Natalie and Shawn about the will. They both groaned, having had enough with the damned will.

To their surprise, they found out that most of her money was gone. She had left Shawn a book with strict instructions not to open them until he got home. She left Natalie the theatre, as well as five hundred grand.

Shawn hugged Natalie goodbye. She had offered him a drink, even offered him dinner. But Shawn refused, wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep off this major depression he was feeling wash over him. Natalie understood and didn't push him.

Juliet and Shawn went into their car and Juliet drove them home. Shawn walked in the house and didn't even greet Gus. When their children asked what was wrong with Daddy, Juliet simply said "You're daddy's not feeling to happy right now. He's just had to say goodbye to someone he really cares about."

Shawn walked up to his room and sat on the bed. He found he was still holding the book Helga had left him. Curiosity got the best of him and he opened the book. A letter fell out and Shawn picked it up. First, a cheque for 2 hundred grand. Shawn shook his head. Of course she would find a way to give him money. He then read the letter.

_My dearest Shawn,_

_The money, of course, is for emergencies only. I hate to think that you can't pay for your bills again. Or if Juliet or yourself find yourselves in the hospital with no way to pay. Keep the money safe, for once in your life. Just put it in the bank._

Shawn laughed, finding himself crying once again. Even in death, Helga would lecture him as if he were her child. He kept reading.

_I lived my life, Shawn. Just as you urged me to. Please, open this book and live these memories with me._

_Lots of love,_

_Helga Duff._

Shawn put the letter down, already crying his eyes out. He opened the book and saw pictures. Pictures among pictures among pictures. Helga in Egypt, by the pyramids. Helga in Antarctica, fully covered in her winter coat. Helga on an elephant, Helga rebuilding the theatre, Helga on stage, Helga at a soup kitchen, Helga on a horse.

Shawn had a smile on his face as he cried and cried.

Helga Duff was 92 years old. She lived her life.

* * *

**The end**


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